Fire in the Sky
by Avirra
Summary: After days of just trying to survive, a few moments of peace.


It was the quiet that ended up drawing B.A.'s attention. The last four days had been brutal, but they'd all made it through, a little bruised and bloody, but basically intact. All B.A. wanted to do was to find someplace semi-soft to lie down and sleep for the better part of the day. But then, he had realized that he hadn't heard a single sound out of Murdock since he'd stopped the van over an hour ago.

His first reaction was to worry. Murdock would hide how hurt he was sometimes if he thought him being hurt would distract the rest of them. His second reaction was being puzzled when he saw Murdock sitting very still on top of a small rise.

As he moved closer, B.A. could see Murdock's left hand was hovering about a foot off the ground as if it was resting on something - Billy, most likely. Crazy Fool and his crazy invisible dog. How Murdock could keep his arm in that position for long periods of time without tiring was one of those little mysteries that made up the whole of their Captain.

Murdock must have heard him coming, because he glanced over his shoulder and gave a welcoming smile before patting the ground next to him with his right hand.

"Come on and grab a section of grass, Big Guy. The show's about to start."

Even more puzzled, B.A. frowned, but he sat down next to the lanky pilot. Few minutes of relaxing might even help him sleep better.

Face was in the process of grabbing a bag out of the back of the van when he looked over. Seeing Murdock and B.A. sitting quietly side by side stirred his curiosity. Putting the bag back down, he headed over.

"What's up, guys?"

"Faceman! Just in time to get settled before the show. You can sit next to B.A. or next to Billy - take your pick."

"Show?"

Face looked over to B.A., but the Sergeant shrugged to indicate he had no idea himself. Curiosity overcoming him, Face sank down next to B.A., turning his gaze to the early night sky as the darkness grew deeper.

The last hints of sunset were fading as Hannibal came out looking for his men only to find them quietly sitting in a row. Maybe not the strangest thing he'd ever came across them doing, but probably in the top ten. Walking up behind them, he had opened his mouth to question what they were doing when something caught his eye. Looking up, he saw a streak blazing across the sky, then another. More followed and all four men watched as the meteor shower continued at a pace Hannibal wouldn't have imagined.

B.A. felt Murdock moving slightly beside him. For a moment, he thought Murdock might be shivering from the cool night air, but a glance at the childlike look of awe told a different story. He wasn't trembling from cold, but quivering in delight. Some of the meteors were a short blip, others left bright colorful trail that lasted for a couple of minutes before fading. Hardly more than a minute went by without another appearing - B.A. started to count and, in a fifteen minute span, he spotted ten of them.

Finally, after about an hour, they started coming further and further apart. B.A. felt a light nudge from Face, who was looking toward Murdock. Exhaustion had finally caught up with him and he was weaving, seeming almost ready to fall over. B.A. grunted as he got up, picking up the lighter man with ease.

"We're headin' in. Main show's over now."

A yawn escaped, but Murdock's smile grew when he saw Hannibal had been nearby.

"Yeah, it is, Big Guy. But wasn't that something?"

"Yeah, it was. Thanks for sharing."

Face and Hannibal fell in behind, all of them heading inside their temporary home while the meteors still streaked overhead now and again. Hannibal wondered briefly how Murdock had known about the meteor shower, but then decided that it really didn't matter. In some inexplicable way, the four of them watching it together had brought a feeling of both calm and unity to him - and, from the expressions the others were wearing, he wasn't the only one feeling that way.

Tomorrow might bring more chaos, more chases, more wild escapes, but tonight? He had a feeling that tonight, for once, they were all going to sleep well.


End file.
